[Eerie music]
(Male narrator) There is a fifth dimension
beyond tha t which is known to man.
It is a dimension as vastas space
and as timeless as infinity.
It is the middle ground between lightand shadow,
between science and s upers ti tion.
And it lies between the pit of man's fears
and the summit of his knowledge.
This is the dimension of ima Gina tion.
It is an area which we call the twilightzone.
Well, Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs.
Oh, hello, Mr. Henson.
Is your room comfortable? Anything I can do?
Oh, it's lovely. It's just lovely.
You know, you make us feel, you make us feel important.
You are important, Mrs. Gibbs.
After all, it isn't every day that we entertain celebrated contest winners.
No, not every day. Maybe every other day.
I brought along our hotel photographer to take a picture of you and Mr. Gibbs
for your hometown paper. Now, if you could just get a little bit closer together.
And smile. Smile. Okay, Joe. Ready?
Uh-huh. Hold it.
Oh, this is so exciting.
That's the Elgin bugle, Mr. Henson.
How's that?
The Elgin bugle. That's our hometown paper.
Oh, yes, of course. Well, we'll send them out a copy right away.
Now, enjoy yourselves, folks, and remember, you have unlimited credit.
(Narrator) Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Gibbs.
Three da ys and two nights, all expenses paid a t a Las Vegas hotel.
Won by virtue of Mrs. Gibbs' knack witha phrase,
but unbeknownst to either Mr. or Mrs. Gibbs
is the fact tha t there's a prize in their package
neither expected nor bargained for.
In justa moment, one of them will succumb to an illness
worse than any virus can produce.
A most inopera tive, deadl y, life-sha ttering affliction known as ”the fever."
[Cheefing]
Number ten.
Franklin, there is such a fla vor to this place.
Flavor. This is the kind of flavor I can do without, flora.
You know perfectly well how I feel about gambling.
Oh, this is different, though.
It is neither different nor moral. Gambling is gambling.
However, this is your vacation, flora. You won it.
But in all good conscience, I must repeat to you what I've been saying all along,
it's a miserable, terrible, waste of time.
But, of course, it's what you wanted.
Oh, Franklin, try to enjoy it, won't you?
[Be/is ringing]
I won! I won the jackpot! I won!
I won. Look, I won. I won, I won, I won.
Look, I won. I won.
Isn't that marvelous?
Just what do you think you're doing?
Well, it's-it's only a nickel machine.
Only a nickle machine? Why don't you just take handfuls of nickles
and throw them out into the street?
All right. We go to Las Vegas.
We waste three days and two nights.
We do it because that is your silly idea of enjoying yourself,
and because it's not costing us anything.
But now you're spending money. And not even spending it, flora.
You're-you're just throwing it away!
Well, this is where I put my foot down.
It's quite obvious to me that you are not mature enough...
Please. Franklin, please, don't make a scene.
I won't play. I promise you.
Franklin? The nickel's already in.
All right. Throw it away.
[Coins clattering]
I'm not very lucky, am I?
I'm going back to the room, flora.
Here you are, old boy. Here, wait a minute.
Please!
Wait, you try it. I'm one hour and 30 minutes
on this miserable, crummy, money-grabbing...
Please.
Hold it. Here. You play. It's yours. Go ahead, play it.
No, really, I'm not interested. I'm in a hurry.
All you have to do is put it in there, see? And pull the thing.
All right, sweetie, I'm coming. That's the little woman, you now.
Lots, lots of luck, and I'll see you later, huh?
I'm coming, honey.
(Ma n) Pa y the lad y right here.
Pa y the lady right here. Pa y the lady right here.
[Coins clattering]
Oh, Franklin, you are lucky.
It wasn't even my dollar. That...
That man gave it to me. He made me put it in the machine.
Well, now you'll see the difference
between a normal, mature thoughtful man
and these-these wild idiots around here.
We'll-we'll put this in our room and we'll take it home with us.
Of course, dear.
Yes, but not these baboons around here. They'd throw it away.
They'd compulsively put it back in the machine.
But not the Gibbs. The Gibbs know the value of money.
Well, come, my dear. I-I want to shave before dinner.
[Metallic voice] Franklin.
Did you say something?
What?
Did you call my name?
Why, no, dear.
I thought I heard...
[Metallic voice] Franklin.
Fra nk I in.
Franklin, is something the matter?
No, no.
Nothing is the matter.
Nothing, except that-that...
This is not the kind of money I like to keep, flora.
This is-is tainted. This is highly immoral.
No good can come from money won like this.
I'm-I'm going back in there
and feed it back into the machine, flora, and get rid of it.
Oh, Franklin, do you really think that...
Of course.
If there's one thing I know, flora, it's morality.
And I will not have this tainted money smelling up our pockets.
I'm going back in there and I'm-I'm just going to get rid of it.
So, you go back to sleep, flora.
Franklin, it's terribly late.
I know it's late, flora!
Look, you stay right here, flora.
And don't let anyone else use this machine. I'll be right back.
Franklin, that's the third time you've cashed a check.
I know that.
Well, you've spent a great deal of money.
I know that, too.
Don't you think you ought to stop now?
How can I stop? I've lost a great deal of money.
You said it yourself. I've got to win it back.
But what if you don't win it back, Franklin?
You've been standing here nearly three hours.
Yes, I know that, too.
Franklin? Dear.
You know how awful you feel in the morning after you've been up too late at night.
Flora, will you kindly shut your mouth?
I hate a shrew, flora! I hate a woman who stands in back of you
and sees to it that you have miserable luck!
That's what you're doing to me now. You're giving me miserable luck!
Now please go away and leave me alone!
Please, please, people are listening.
The devil with people!
I'm not concerned with people.
I'm... I'm concerned with this-this machine.
It's inhuman the way it lets you win a little
and then, and then takes it all back.
It teases you.
It-it holds out promises and-and wheedles you.
It sucks you in and then...
Franklin.
Flora, go away!
Five hours. That's how long he's been there.
When they get hooked, they really get hooked, don't they?
Yeah.
Somebody
get me
a drink of water, please.
Franklin.
Hm?
Oh. Oh, flora, would you,
would you get me a drink of water?
I... I've almost got her licked now.
You see,
"special jackpot, $10,000."
You see? $10,000.
She's bound to-to turn up in a little while.
You-you just have to stick with her long enough.
That's all.
Franklin.
Huh?
What, uh,
what time is it, flora?
It's 8:00 in the morning, Franklin.
I-I swear to you, flora,
this machine mocks me.
It teases, beckons, mocks me.
Put in five, get back four.
Put in six, get back five.
But it's got to pay off, sooner or later.
It's just got to, I tell you.
Give me back my dollar.
That's my last dollar!
You miserable, dirty...
Give me back my dollar!
Franklin!
Give me back my dollar!
Franklin!
We need a doctor.
It took my dollar! It owes me a dollar!
It took my dollar!
That, that monster!
It owes me a dollar!
I want my dollar! I want my dollar!
(Flora) Da rl ing?
Can't you sleep?
That machine.
Franklin.
That machine, flora.
It was ready to pay off.
And it deliberately broke down so it wouldn't have to.
It... it's not even a machine, flora.
It's an entity.
It's a thing with a mind and a will of its own.
It deliberately broke down.
It deliberately broke down!
That... that thing!
That monster! That thief!
It took my last silver dollar, flora.
It stole my last silver dollar and broke down!
[Metallic voice] Franklin!
What's the matter, dear?
Fra nk I in!
Fra nk I in.
Come back to bed, frank...
Fra nk I in!
Franklin, what? t is the ma tter?
Fra nk I in.
Franklin, what is it?
It's-it's chasing me. It's following me.
It's trying to get me, flora!
What is? What?
There's nothing there!
Fra nk I in!
Franklin, there's nothing here, dear.
Believe me, there's nothing here.
Fra nk I in.
Fra nkl in, fra nkl in, fra nkl in. Fra nkl in!
Fra nkl in! Fra nkl in!
Fra nk I in!
Franklin!
[Machine continues calling Franklin's name]
[Screaming]
[Shouts]
No!
[Sobbing]
His wife said he hadn't slept for 24 hours.
That's right.
I've seen a lot of them get hooked before, but never like him.
There's a stretcher coming. It'll be here in a couple of minutes.
All right, everybody, let's get back to bed. The show's over.
Let's go. Let's get out of here.
[Be/I rings]
[Coin clacking]
(Narrator) Mr. Frankl in Gibbs, visitor to las vega s,
who I ost his money, his reason, and finall y, his life
to an ina nima te metal ma chine
variousl y described as a one-armed bandit, a slot ma chine.
Or in Mr. Franklin Gibbs' words
”a monster with a will all its own."
For our purposes we'll stick with the la tter definition
be ca use we 're in the twil igh t zone.
(Male presenter) Rod serl ing, the orea Tor oftwilight zone
will tell you about next week's storyafter this word from our al terna te sponsor.
And noi/I/, Mr. Serl/ng.
This is the model of a nieuport,
fighter aircraft vintage world war I.
Next week it's flown on a patrol over France in 1917.
And its pilot discovers that time has passed him by.
Kenneth haigh stars next week in Richard Matheson's exciting story
of the lastflight on the twilightzone.
We hope you'll join us. Thank you and good night.
[Eerie music]
Kimberl y-Clark invites you to wa tch Steve McQueen
in wanted dead of alive.
Sa turda y nights over most of the sa me s ta tions.